The Ginger Twins
by Ms Sticha
Summary: There is a lot of history between Joker and Shepard. This is a series of short one-shots of that relationship. The title will be explained in the second chapter. :)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I decided to do a series of one-shots on Joker and Shep as kids. I feel like there is a lot of history there ripe for exploration. Please let me know what you think!

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**The Docks**

The small boy stood in the observation deck, his face pressed against the window, his nose flattened, his hot breath leaving fog on the clear glass. His green eyes danced in the low light as he watched another Alliance ship land on the station.

"Cookie, you should sit down for a while. You need to rest your legs."

"Aw, mom, I feel fine. Plus, the doctor said I needed to exercise so I can get stronger."

The doctors fitted him with a new set of VI-assisted leg braces a week ago, in an attempt to build up his muscles; the rationale was that stronger muscles would help protect his bones. The doctors explained that the VI would do most of the work in the beginning, but his mother was still afraid to let him do anything. It had taken over a week of begging to even get this far. He wasn't ready to go yet. His eyes darted around the docking area eagerly while he waited for another ship to come in; they landed on something he could hardly believe.

"Wow! Mom, come here. There is a little kid like me leaving that Alliance frigate!"

"There are lots of kids like you on this station."

"No, I mean she is like me! Not like the others."

"I don't see her, Cookie."

"She is right there, by the tall crates. See, she has red hair like me!" He was practically bouncing.

"Oh, now I see. Yes, she does have red hair just like you." His mom smiled at him, but he could tell the smile didn't reach her eyes. He shrugged and turned back around to watch this new kid.

The girl walked down the dock like she wasn't afraid of anything; she carried herself like the soldiers she walked with. Only her diminutive height and a teddy bear tucked under her arm gave away her age. The boy watched her with rapt fascination. He wanted to get her attention somehow, but froze. Suddenly his right leg shot out and kicked at the large window twice, just enough to draw the attention of those on the dock.

The little girl stopped in the middle of the dock and looked up. She raised her free arm and pointed directly at him. His heart jumped, both thrilled and terrified that she noticed him. A woman, probably her mother, kneeled down next to the girl, looked to where she was pointing – at him – and a horrified look crossed her delicate features. She hastily pushed the girl's arm down and said something to her, never once looking back at him. Tears gathered in his eyes, but he hastily wiped them away before his mother could notice. He didn't mind being pointed at. He wasn't stupid; he knew he looked different – especially with his new metal legs. Why did adults think it was better to ignore him, though?

The woman directed the girl towards the station door at the end of the dock and turned back to the task at hand. He turned away from the window, sad that the little girl was leaving the docks. His mom didn't let him leave home any other time, so he would probably never see her again. He took a few slow steps away from the window. His mother watched him too close, panic bare across her face. He almost gave up and asked her to pick him up, dejection draining his will.

His mother met him half way and knelt beside him, a smile wide on her face. He reached for her, ready to give up and go home, but she shook her head. She reached her arm past him and pointed. He had to take two steps to turn around enough to see what she was pointing at, and there she was; the little girl was standing with her face pressed against the window, one hand on either side of her face to let her see far into the dim room. His mother tried to help him back to the window, but he was rejuvenated. He made it there faster than either thought possible.

The little girl smiled when he stopped in front of her on the opposite side of the glass. One bottom front tooth was missing completely, and the other looked too large for her mouth and was slightly crooked, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She made funny faces trying to get him to laugh, her eyes danced when she succeeded; they were bright green like a jewel, not like his cloudy green. They stayed like that for several minutes, making silly faces back and forth across the glass, before her mother came to lead her away.

He waved to her, and she waved back. Then she picked up her teddy bear and made one fuzzy arm wave to him too before disappearing.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The explanation for Ginger Twins ended up not fitting in this chapter, so it will have to wait. Please let me know what you think so far!

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**Kid Chaos**

The small boy sat in his lounge chair, data pads spread around him and a video playing silently on the console in front of him while his mother slept on the couch next to him. He constantly snuck glances over at the sleeping form to make sure he didn't get caught. His mother arranged for him to attend classes from home to protect him from other kids, both physically and mentally, but this put more strain on her. She was usually just getting home from work when he woke up, so they would have a meal together before she set up his make-shift classroom and then succumbed to exhaustion.

He was far more advanced than the level he was being taught, though; he usually finished the full day's work in less than an hour, so he found other ways to occupy his time while she got some much-needed rest. This included hacking the console to watch vids she forbid him from watching. Most five-year-olds weren't capable of such tech, but most of them were not stuck in one place for a majority of their day. Plus, he _was_ almost six.

A sharp rap came from the door to their small flat. The boy jumped and hastily tried to flip the vid over to a proper educational vid, knocking several pads to the ground in the process. The clatter woke the sleeping woman with a start. She jumped to his side in a flash, concern evident in her prematurely aged features.

"Are you ok, Cookie? What happened?"

"That knock scared me and I jumped. I just knocked some stuff over." He shrugged, his face flushed from fear of being found out. He had the screen angled down to keep her from seeing the contents. Fortunately, his mother was still foggy with sleep and didn't ask any other questions. A second set of knocks on the door, much more insistent than the first, distracted her further. He breathed a sigh of relief at the close call.

"Oh, Mika, what a surprise! What can I do for you?" The boy recognized the balding man filling the small room with his generous girth: it was his mother's boss.

"I'm sorry I have to do this, Shelly. There is a ship limping back in as we speak and we need all hands on deck."

"I sympathize, sir, but I can't leave my son home alone. He needs special care." Her eyes were wide with panic. The older man smiled gently and tried to calm her fears.

"I took care of that: I made arrangements for your son at the community center and we can drop him off on the way."

That is how the small red-headed boy found himself among other kids for the first time. The school day was just ending, and most of the parents on the station were still at their post. The rest were being called in for the damaged Alliance vessel coming in, leaving the center full to capacity - and then some. The community center was the only safe and supervised place for the station's children too old for daycare and too young to be alone. It was also filled with the frenetic energy of too many kids in a small space.

The chaos in the room was the socialization equivalent of being thrown into the deep end of the pool for the isolated boy. He sat quietly in a chair as his mother signed him in, and didn't move once she left. His wide eyes tried to take it all in without giving away the icy terror nestled deep in the pit of his stomach. If he learned anything from the vids he snuck during the day, it was that kids were monsters that could smell fear_. Maybe I should stay away from the horror vids from now on _he thought wryly.

The few adults in the room were severely outnumbered by children, a sense of anarchy sprung up as a result. The older woman at the sign-in station kept tucking her disheveled hair behind her ears as her eyes darted about, most likely a nervous tic. The boy could see the same panic he felt bubbling in his gut mirrored in her eyes, but she wasn't even trying to hide it. With a shout of "NOW!" small balls started flying from several directions at once, all converging on the flustered woman; clearly the kids sensed weakness.

The small boy tried to wish himself invisible; sorry that the woman was targeted, but thankful it wasn't the crippled new boy. The noise was overwhelming, but the boy didn't dare cover his ears, fearful any movement would attract attention.

"Hey, there you are!"

The cry cut across the din of multiple kids pent-up in a large room. He looked around to see what the owner of such a commanding voice would look like, but couldn't figure out who it belonged to; the mass of children in front of him were little more than a blur of colors at this point. A moment later a bright red head popped up to his left, sparkling eyes catching his.

"I looked all over for you this week. Where have you been hiding?" The voice belonged to the girl from the docks. The little boy looked over his shoulder to see who could get this girl so excited. She only giggled when he looked back and mouthed "me?".

"Yes, you. Silly." She glanced over to where he had been staring, wide-eyed, and saw the growing chaos at the sign-in. A young man was working his way through the throngs of children calling for back-up from the adult over in the dark corner. The young woman clearly didn't appreciate being asked to work, but she made her way over too.

"We should probably get away from here. It is only going to get worse." Her bright eyes cast around the room before settling on the dark corner the young woman had just left. There were several old games there, and it was completely empty.

"Hey, there is a fun flight sim game over there. Let's go play!" The boy only nodded mutely before slowly standing.

"You don't talk much, do you kid? Hey, I like your metal pants. Those are so cool!"

The girl didn't wait for a response; she moved the chairs around so they could both slip behind them without being noticed. It was slow going with the boy relying on the VI in his leg braces to do most of the work still, but they made it into a game - slipping from cover to cover to avoid being caught by the enemy. _It's probably not too far from the truth_ the boy thought as he glanced back at the chaos.

They finally made it to the flight game: two old flight chairs side-by-side in front of a large screen. They each settled in to a chair and started the game up; they had to choose their ship before they could play. The boy picked the red ship, and the girl gave him a sideways glance.

"I wanted to be red. You can pick a different color."

"But I picked it first." The girl was surprised at the strength behind his voice, hearing it for the first time, but she didn't like to back down.

"How old are you?" Her eyes narrowed on him.

"I'll be six next week."

"Well, I am almost seven. That means I am the boss."

"That's not fair! You will always be older than me."

"Yup. And I will always be the boss of you. That's just how it goes." She shrugged casually. The boy did not try to hide his unhappiness with the decision. Finally she spoke back up, trying to smooth the situation over.

"Tell you what: neither of us will be red this first game. Whoever wins gets to be whatever color they want. Sound fair?" She looked entirely too smug for it to be a fair deal, but the boy agreed.

Five minutes later, the girl was trying not to pout as the boy picked the red ship for the next game.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm sorry about the delay. Hopefully things will slow down enough that I can get back to regular updates. Thank you for the reviews and follows. It really helps me keep going through everything.

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**The Birthday**

"Mom, can I invite my friend over for my birthday?"

The petite woman poked her head around the corner of the small kitchenette, the mixer whirring loudly. She was in the middle of making a cake from scratch, the one birthday tradition she vowed to maintain no matter what. The boy realized he had not spoken loud enough to be heard over the din. He started to get up when he heard the mixer shut off.

"I'm sorry, did you say something? I couldn't hear you over the mixer."

"I asked if I can invite my friend over for my birthday."

The boy fidgeted slightly in the big recliner, his face slightly flushed. He never asked to have a friend over before. Heck, he never had one to invite. His mother grinned at the request, which only made him more nervous.

"Of course! There will be plenty of cake, and I can order an extra meal."

"And there will still be enough for dad, too, right? 'Cause I don't want dad to not have any cake."

The young mother's eyes tightened at the mention of the boy's father, but she didn't let her smile falter. She had plenty of practice in that now, and the boy pretended not to notice. He had plenty of practice too. That one small quiver told him all he needed to know: it was going to be another birthday without his father.

"I promise there will be enough cake for everyone. Do you have an address or number so I can contact his parents?"

"Um, no, I don't have that. And she's a girl. The one from the docks, remember?"

"I see. Yes, I remember her. Well, I guess we can look her up. What's her name?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Did you forget?"

"I forgot to ask."

"I'm sorry, Cookie. I can't find her if I don't have anything to go on." She placed a hand lightly on his. "I tell you what. We will invite her over next time you see her, and I will even make another cake. How does that sound?"

The boy nodded mutely, not looking up so his mother wouldn't see how disappointed he was. She didn't remember what it was like to be a kid - most parents forget at some point. Kids don't put much importance on introductions. He wanted to kick himself for not asking for her name, but it never came up. They just started playing like they had always known one another, and then she was suddenly being led away by her mother.

He brooded in his chair for several minutes before an idea struck him: he could search for her on the landing manifests. He remembered the exact day her ship landed, so it would be easy to find. Getting through the security would be the tricky part. The mixer sprung back to life in the other room, so he knew he had time before his mother was done. He just had to be quick and careful.

Fifteen minutes later, the boy was frustrated nearly to tears. He had been trying to hack into the system but couldn't break through the security. The clanging of dishes in the next room told him his mother was almost finished cleaning up, so he backed out of everything before his mother could catch him. He was shutting down his monitor when there was a sharp rap at the door. The sounds in the kitchenette drowned out the knocks, so he decided to get up and answer it himself.

A tall soldier filled the doorway, a small N7 just visible on the upper right hand side of his chest. The soldier's brown-grey eyes focused on the small boy before he spoke.

"Are you Jeff Moreau?"

The little boy fell back onto his bottom as his legs tried to scramble away faster than the VI controlled braces could follow. He let out a small cry on impact and immediately started begging.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't mean to do anything wrong. I tried... security..." His words jumbled into unintelligible sobs, panic clearly taking over.

The soldier's face softened. He paused to set something down in the hall before he bent to gently help the boy up. The boy's mother came running in when she heard the thump and cries. Her eyes widened when she saw a uniformed soldier hoist her son upright.

"What the hell is going on here?" Her fierce voice was enough to make the battle-hardened soldier jump slightly.

"Lieutenant Anderson, ma'am," the soldier extended a hand as he introduced himself. "I was looking for young Mr. Moreau, and it seems I have found him."

"And what, exactly, do you want with my son?"

There was a dangerous edge to his mother's voice the boy had never heard before. The boy froze in terror, unsure how to tell his mother about the attempted hacking and terrified of what was going to happen to him. _Oh no, I am going to spend my birthday in jail. I might never get out. That is if mom doesn't kill me first _he thought bitterly. It scared him enough that he vowed to never cross her again if he survived. His mouth opened and closed several times, tear-filled eyes on his mother.

"I apologize for scaring him, and you for that matter. I am merely here as a courier." The soldier winked at the dumbfounded child as he bent to retrieve something just outside the doorway. A brightly wrapped package peaked from his large hand as he stood, and he handed it to the boy. The mother swooped down and snatched it away.

"We don't take gifts from strangers." The boy wasn't sure if his mother was talking to him or the soldier, but he was disappointed just the same.

"This isn't from me, ma'am." A bemused smile danced on the young soldier's face as he continued. "I promised a very persistent little red headed girl that I would deliver it. She wanted to do so herself, but she is under doctor's orders not to leave her bed. It took most of my skills as an N7 just to get out the door without her. As battle-hardened as I may appear, I don't want to face her wrath if I fail."

"That's her mom! That is my friend. Can I open the present? Please? She is kinda scary, and I don't want the nice man to get hurt." Jeff started dancing in place, tears barely starting to dry on his cheeks.

"Well, I don't want to be responsible for an injured soldier..." she said with a small smile. The rest of her answer was lost behind the boy's loud yell of excitement.

He tore open the present in a blur; colorful scraps of paper flew in every direction. A remote-controlled model Alliance fighter ship lay in the box atop a small hand-written note.

_I thought you would like to be able to watch one take off and land whenever you wanted to. Try it, it really works! I bet you are really good at it. I want to play with it with you when I am all better. I get to go first since you will get all the turns before then. I hope you have a good birthday. I bet you are surprised I remembered, aren't you?_

_R.L. Shepard_


	4. Chapter 4

**The New School**

Jeff and his mother struggled to find a routine for the few weeks school was not in session. The Alliance school systems operated on a staggered calendar coordinated with normal assignment schedules. They were in the last week of the three-week break, so the novelty had worn off and boredom had set in. It really wasn't that big of a difference to Jeff, since he usually did all his school work from home. His mother, on the other hand, didn't realize how little time he actually devoted to class work so she felt pressure to keep him occupied. He was eager to get his free-time back. His mother let him invite his friend over several times the first week of break, which helped stave off the boredom. Unfortunately, the girl had more energy than a herd of wild pyjaks on stims. His mother was not used to that much frenetic energy, so the invitations became fewer and father between for the rest of the break.

Jeff didn't blame his friend for his being kept in isolation for the last week. His mother had always been over-protective of him so she wasn't keen on taking both kids out in public where they could run off their energy and she didn't trust anyone else to be responsible for him. Plus, but his mother wasn't getting nearly enough rest. Her eyes ringed in dark circles, she was increasingly crabby, and she accidentally used salt instead of sugar in his oatmeal. His suggestion that she take a nap was out of self-preservation; he managed to choke down the oatmeal, but the next meal could be even worse. He froze when she told him that wasn't possible, since they had to go tour the school.

Jeff turned in his school-issued console at the end of the last session, just as instructed. Unfortunately for him, the school was very thorough. They discovered the speed he completed his assignments; he usually finished the entire day's work in less than an hour. They also discovered that he hacked the system to watch unauthorized vids for entertainment once he was done. It had never occurred to him to wipe the history before he turned the technology over. That was a mistake he vowed to never make again. As a result of his slip-up, he was now assigned to a small classroom at the school designated for 'special' students. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he was afraid to find out.

Jeff's mother tried to get the doctors to keep him out of school, fearing for his safety since he was so brittle, but it didn't go as she had planned. The strength his body gained in the last month was nothing short of a medical miracle. The doctors immediately began to pat themselves on the back for the injections they administered weekly and the VI leg braces. They both helped immensely, but Jeff knew that most of his progress was thanks to Shepard (she had insisted he call her that instead of her first name because she was going to be a soldier so he needed to get used to referring to her the proper way). She was a firecracker of a kid, and she didn't treat him any different than she would any other kid. As a result, he had to push himself just to keep up with her. She made it so much fun that he didn't realize how hard he was working until he tried to get up the next morning. Now he was going to have to be like every other kid all the time, and that scared him.

They arrived at the school early in the afternoon. Jeff had never actually been to the school before. His eyes darted around the rooms, desperate to take in everything in front of him. Large digital maps floated in the corner of the first classroom he peaked in, planets lazily circling bright stars. The large metal desks looked ancient, graffiti carved into the writing surfaces by bored students probably old enough to have kids in the same class now. Several more rooms they passed were full of the oversized furniture, and he began to worry that he was too small. They rounded a corner into a more welcoming hall. Bright pictures decorated the doorways and walls of classrooms with smaller furniture - things built for kids like him. There was an odor he couldn't quite place throughout the entire school; it was a mix of harsh cleaning chemicals, dirty feet, and something completely new to him. The mystery smell seemed to come from the pictures - possibly an adhesive or paint.

A pleasantly plump woman stood outside a door at the end of the hall. She smiled warmly as the boy and his mother approached. Her lips were an unnatural shade of pink, and they looked completely out-of-place with her grey hair and plain clothing, but the boy felt comfortable around her.

"You must be Mrs. Moreau, and that would make you Jeff." She winked at the boy as she spoke. "Please come in and look around." She gestured at the open doorway.

The room was much smaller than the others they had passed, and there were only a handful of desks and seats throughout. The walls were covered in vid screens and digital images, and every surface had cool gadgets and bright colors. It was everything he didn't dare to hope for.

His eyes finally settled on the screen at the front of the classroom. A series of images on a loop flashed before him, and what he saw made him more excited than everything else he had seen combined. He only caught a glimpse of it before it switched, so he watched the whole set again to make sure he wasn't imagining it. The first image was a 360 degree swipe of the classroom they were standing in, with "Welcome to our classroom" across the bottom of the screen. The next shot was of the older woman who greeted them at the door, with a caption saying "Mrs. Haskins is here to guide you." He tried not to chuckle at how cheesy the quote was, but he wasn't very successful. Thankfully, his mother was the only other person in the room, so she let it slide. The subsequent image was him. Jeff wasn't sure where they got the photo, but it wasn't very flattering. He looked scared and irritated at the same time. On second thought, it was probably a pretty accurate image.

The next two images were of overly large and unpleasant looking boys. They seemed to linger on the screen forever, but it was mostly his anxiousness for the last frame. He bounced up and down when the image finally popped on screen. The girl in the photo looked serious and a little scary for such a young girl, but there was an unmistakable ornery glimmer to her bright green eyes. The caption at the bottom said exactly what he hoped "R.L. Shepard."

Moments later he saw the exact same expression on her face as she strode into the room, her back straight and shoulders back. She surveyed the room clinically, and he was quite sure she was capable of remembering exactly where everything was after one scan. He had seen her do it at the community center. Her face only softened when she spotted him in the corner, as if the cool confidence was a mask. She ran over to him, flashing a lopsided, uneven grin that warmed him up. At least he wasn't going to be alone.

The classroom introductions didn't last long, so the teacher lead them out to the school's play area so the kids would see the fun part of the school too. The play area was the closest thing the station had to a park, so it was overrun with children even though the school was on break.

Shepard grinned at Jeff wickedly before turning and running into the large play structure crawling with kids. He watched her go, wishing he could follow but afraid his mother wouldn't let him. Moments later his mother walked over with Shepard's mom and sat on a bench.

"Be careful, Rae. Make sure you don't hurt any of the smaller kids... or the bigger ones" her mother yelled after her. She then turned her attention to Jeff. "Aren't you going to go play too? I'm sure you can catch up to her." Jeff could tell that his friend was a lot like her mother. His mother looked unsure, but he didn't wait around long enough for her to make him stop.

Jeff noticed all the kids staring, but he ignored it as he chased after his spirited friend. What he was doing was more of a lumber than a chase, but he was determined and he eventually caught up with her on the other side of a climbing wall. A flush crept up her pale cheeks as she giggled when he grabbed her foot. He had actually surprised her. They were laughing together when a voice spoke up from behind them.

"Looks like they are letting anyone in here now, guys. It's a real shame." The sneer in his voice stopped them in their tracks. They turned around to see a tall boy with greasy dark hair shaking his head in pity.

"I heard gingers have no souls." One of the scrawny boys behind him bounced up and down gleefully.

"I wonder how much your parents had to pay to get you and your gimpy twin brother admitted. Probably his two legs." The greasy kid cackled with delight at his own crappy joke. He started chanting "Ginger twins" and it was only seconds before the crowd swelled around them, all chanting the same two stupid words.

Jeff froze when he heard the boy refer to them as brother and sister. He knew it was not true, but it hurt his heart to think of how she would reject him publically. She didn't deserve to be dragged into the taunting kids like him got. He tried to walk away before she could respond, but one of the greasy boy's crony friends pushed him. He fell forward hard, and felt a bone in his arm snap as he tried to break his fall. The pain radiated up his arm, but he stayed silent, afraid to move until the bullies were gone.

"You're going to regret doing that." Shepard's voice was an icy, harsh whisper. "Nobody picks on my brother and gets away with it."

Jeff didn't look up, the pain too intense for him to move without groaning or crying; neither were an option when surrounded by a chanting crowd. The sounds around him made a dramatic shift almost instantly, the chants and jeers turned into shrieks as the crowd took off in every direction. The sudden change was enough to make him chance it and raise his head to investigate.

The image before him was impossible to pull away from: The little red-headed girl stood in the middle of a mass of fallen boys, all writhing on the ground moaning and whimpering. The main bully, who stood almost a head above her, was in a headlock. She muttered directly into the boy's ear, and began choking him when she didn't get the answer she was expecting. Jeff noticed how her pale skin practically glowed in the low light. It was a surreal image.

Shepard leaned down a second time and muttered something else in his ear, her voice too quiet for anyone else to catch. She waited patiently for a response. The bully grumbled something indiscernible, and Shepard raised her free fist in preparation to pummel him. The boy cried out in fear, begging her to let him go, promising to do anything she asked if she would just stop. This seemed to satisfy her. She let the boy go and stood back, her smile bloody from the top tooth that was now missing. Her bright eyes danced, but the emerald color swirled with blue for a few beats before it was gone. It was fast enough that he immediately doubted what he saw. A moment later he began to wonder if he had hurt his head. The bully helped Jeff up while little Shepard stood directly behind him with her arms crossed. The bully led him back to the bench where Mrs. Moreau and Ms. Shepard were sitting and confessed to everything through sobs and tears. Mrs. Moreau gathered Jeff up to rush him to the doctor while Ms. Shepard took the boy firmly by the collar and marched him away, her daughter marching close behind.

"Don't ever mess with the ginger twins. They will mess you up!" Jeff overheard a scrawny boy in an oversized jumpsuit give the sage advice to a group neat the exit and he couldn't help but smile despite the pain. This school term could be pretty good.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I couldn't shake the thought of how hard childhood would've been for the first generation of biotics with electronics all around them and nobody entirely sure what was going on. I also figured it wouldn't be long before Jeff and Shepard began acting like brother and sister, so I ran with it. Let me know what you think.

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**The Homework**

Shepard held the small console in her left hand while her right fumbled along the various digital displays, her face set in grim determination and her tongue peeked out the corner of her mouth. Jeff sat across the table and watched her struggle. She had brought all this on herself, so he wasn't going to pass up the entertainment.

Their daily routine was set like clockwork: an adult picked them up after school (usually one of their moms, but sometimes soldiers like Lt. Anderson were forced to fill in) and brought them both back to one of their flats until the other parent was off work. There was an unspoken agreement that the first person done with homework got to choose the snack and entertainment for the afternoon, and Shepard won every day. Jeff wasn't sure if she just got bored with winning, or if she was getting cocky (well, cockier), but she chose to rub it in this afternoon and throw in an added challenge.

"I finish all our regular homework and my special work every day before you even get done with the regular part. I bet I can even do all my work and your special work before you finish the regular part."

The special homework was assigned to each student based on their personal strengths and areas of interest. Shepard's extra work covered a variety of subjects - from history, to languages, to alien cultures, and everything in between - while Jeff's was always some sort of tech work. He had never seen Shepard do any sort of tech work, so he wasn't about to let his grade depend on her. He wasn't a cheater. Well... not like this, at least. Plus, Mrs. Haskins stopped letting Shepard use anything high-tech in the classroom because it all mysteriously broke when she was involved. He would be a fool to give her his console. She refused to let it go, though. She pestered him relentlessly until he finally typed up his assignment on a separate data pad and placed it in the center of the table - but he kept his console far from her grubby clutches.

That was nearly an hour ago and Jeff had long since completed his work, but Shepard was a sore loser. She set about hacking her own console just to prove she could, but the determined look on her face was rapidly replaced by a dangerously stormy glare as the console beeped loudly and flashed red yet again. She muttered something under her breath that Jeff couldn't understand, most likely a swear word in some alien language: no human word had the guttural hiss like the one she spat out. There was an audible pop from the device seconds later.

"This stupid machine is broken. That is the only reason I can't do it!" Shepard yelled as she tossed the console down on the table with a flourish.

"It's not broken. You just don't know what you are doing." Jeff instantly regretted opening his big mouth when her glare centered on him. Even so, he couldn't help but pick up the console to prove his point. He clearly had a death wish.

"Huh. It _is_ broken." He pulled off the back of the machine and fiddled with it for a few seconds. "It looks like the system is fried. I hope you already uploaded your homework." He was only brave enough to shoot a sideways glance her direction.

"I'm not stupid. And I _told_ you it was broken." Shepard sat with her jaw clenched and her lips pursed tightly together into a hard circle, the color nearly drained from her lips by the pressure. Her nostrils flared in time with her panting breath. She was more worked up than Jeff had ever seen her before, and it would've been funny if he wasn't so completely terrified. She _was_ within arm's reach, after all. Even so, he couldn't help himself.

"Your mouth looks like a butthole when you do that." He meant it as a joke, a desperate attempt to lighten the mood. But it was also true.

"You think you are so funny, don't you? You are a real joker; let me tell you, a laugh-a-minute." Her eyes danced dangerously as she picked up the data pad still lying in the middle of the table.

The fear that she was going to launch it at him was nearly overwhelming. Every ounce of his attention was directed at the dangerously pissed little girl sitting across from him. He jumped when a hand fell on his shoulder, his eyes wide with surprise as he found Shepard's mother standing next to him with an ice cream cone held out - his choice for snack. He never heard her come in; he was so distracted with the threat of imminent pain. He smiled weakly as he took the snack, but froze before he took a bite. Another frustrated howl shook the room and stole his appetite.

"See, it can't be my fault. This stupid thing won't work now either." Shepard waved the data pad wildly above her head.

"Honey, I think you need to go do the cool-down exercises Corporal Singh taught you." The older woman ran her hand in slow soothing circles on her daughter's back as she leaned down to plant a kiss on the girl's head. A bright spark danced between the mother's lips and the daughter's head. "It must be dry in here. You are full of static electricity." She smiled warmly at the children, but Jeff noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

Shepard's flame colored locks lived up to their hue, strands dancing like licks of fire. She didn't bother trying to tame them, and jerked her head away when her mother tried. She was clearly in a dangerous mood, but her mother didn't put up with it. She knelt by her daughter and whispered something into the girl's ear. The girl deflated a bit, the anger leaving her, before she caught Jeff staring across the table. Defiance flared across her pale features, her cheeks pinking once again, and she flung the now dead data pad on the table with a bang. The little boy jumped and dropped his snack on the table.

"I hope you peed your pants." Shepard sneered. "That will teach you for staring."

"That is enough out of you Raiden Luna Shepard. You apologize at once!" Suddenly Jeff could see where the girl got her temper, and he really wished his chair would swallow him up so he could escape the clash of wills across the table. Then he processed what had been said.

"Wait... your name is Raiden? Seriously?" He couldn't keep the grin off his face. She had never told him her first name before. He didn't have a chance to decide if he liked it or not, though, as his head suddenly jerked back. Something hit him in the middle of his forehead... something that managed to be both hard and soft. It slid down his face, leaving a cold sticky trail before falling into his lap. He looked down to find the remains of his ice cream cone.

"That was totally worth it!" The girl was nowhere to be seen, but her voice tore through the flat from behind the closed door of her room.

"I'm sorry about that, Jeff. Rae is special like you, just in a different way. She and technology don't get along... especially when she is upset." Her blue eyes studied the boy carefully, with great warmth behind the gaze. "At least I don't have to worry about raising an only child. You two act more like brother and sister than most siblings I've met."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I apologize for the long delay. I hope to be back on schedule for now. This chapter is part 1 of 2. Part 2 should be up in a day or two. Let me know what you think.

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Jeff stared at the empty desk next to his, eyes set on the black and red sticker lovingly tucked along the side, just out of view of any strict authority figures. The edges of the N7 curled slightly from dirty fingers tracing the outline. It had been a gift from Lt. Anderson before he shipped out on his latest mission, and Shepard ran her fingers over it for comfort. Now Jeff found himself fighting the urge to reach over and reenact the familiar movement, desperate for a bit of that comfort. Fear was all that kept his hands on his own desk. The teacher didn't notice when the fidgety little girl played with the side of her desk, but she would surely notice Jeff reaching across the aisle to fondle an empty desk. Shepard would kill him if he got her sticker taken away.

Shepard had been gone for almost two weeks, and Jeff was desperately lonely. He would never admit that to her, of course. She was a bit too sure of herself as it was, and he didn't need to add to that. It was shocking how quiet his world was without her, though. Most of his life p.s. (pre-Shepard - he knew better than say before Shepard because that would be b.s... which, on second thought, may fit after all) had been spent in relative silence, watching vids, avoiding other kids, and letting his mother sleep. She was like a violent storm that ripped him out of his world of silence, and nothing was quite the same afterward. Now he missed the chaos that came with being around her.

"Mr. Moreau?" The shrill voice cut through his daze, jerking him back to the small, dimly lit classroom. Bright pink lips curled into a tight smile on to the teacher's plump face, her curtain of grey hair not hiding the pitying look. "I think this is a good time for a quick break. We will pick the lesson back up after a short recess." Mrs. Haskins watched the boy closely as she spoke, her final words drowned out from the cheers of the other students.

"I know you miss your friend, but she will be back soon." The teacher knelt close to Jeff's desk as she spoke quietly, her coffee breath unavoidable from the close proximity. The small boy nodded mutely as he struggled up, eager to put distance between himself and the well-meaning adult. She stepped back to give him a direct path out of the class.

Jeff jogged around the corner as fast as his legs would allow, but instantly regretted it. In his haste to enjoy a few free minutes of play, he ran smack into the new kid, knocking them both over. It took Jeff several moments to regain his feet. The VI assisted braces did wonders for strengthening his legs, but they were still awkward to maneuver in when not going forward or backward. His heart dropped as he slowly pulled himself up to his full height. The new kid towered over him, a menacing sneer plastered on his ugly mug.

"Watch where you're going, freak." The boy's voice cracked, instantly draining away the intimidation factor.

"Sorry." Jeff mumbled as he attempted to duck around the tall boy. He was older, in another classroom, so Jeff never bothered to learn his name. It was something like Diego. Or Dingo. He definitely looked more like a Dingo, with his pointy ears and tongue lolling out to one side.

"You are sorry - or you will be." Dingo's rancid breath was hot on Jeff's cheek, making him gag slightly. Why was everyone so desperate to breathe on him today?

"That doesn't even make sense," Jeff muttered.

"Your metal legs don't make sense." Dingo grinned like he had just delivered the ultimate put-down. It was rather embarrassing how wrong he was.

"Look, I know you're just jealous that my legs are cooler than yours and my pants actually fit. Nice ankles, by the way." Jeff's eyes widened as soon as the words slipped out. He had definitely been spending too much time with Shepard. Her mouthy ways had clearly rubbed off on him, and he didn't have the goods to back it up. He didn't back down, though. He stood as tall as his small body would allow, holding the muddy brown gaze of the boy in front of him.

"You're a disgrace to the human race." Venom practically dripped from every word. This guy was a real peach.

"Wow, you managed two syllables that time. Did you hurt yourself?" Panic bubbled sickly in Jeff's gut, but he wasn't able or willing to back down, especially to a pubescent mouth-breather.

A small crowd had gathered around the two boys, encircling them as children had done for centuries without ever being taught. Unlike the last time Jeff found himself in this situation, there was no chanting going on, no calls for his blood. The other kids stood frozen, terrified of the events but unable to pull away. A collective gasp escaped the assembled gathering as the new boy grabbed Jeff by the shirt and pulled him in closer - close enough for the world's most violent and gross kiss ever if he was so inclined... which he wasn't.

"Nobody talks to me like that, especially a weak little freak." Dingo's muddy eyes were too wide. The little sense he had to begin with had clearly left by this point.

"Are you going to prove how big a man you are by beating the little cripple? Do you think that will impress anyone?" Jeff's voice was a harsh whisper, but he managed to keep the trembling of his body out of his voice.

"You really don't want to do that." A hand fell on the bully's shoulder, and he whipped his head around to confront the person who dared interrupt. Jeff was only able to catch a glimpse of the kid, and was shocked to see it was the boy who started the attack on him the first day of school; the kid Shepard beat and then marched away to her mother. "He isn't a bad kid, and Shepard will destroy you if hurt him."

"Is this Shepard kid here now?" Dingo whipped his hear around dramatically, his greasy, stringy hair plastered to his head unmoving. Nobody responded, so he continued on. "I didn't think so. It wouldn't matter anyway. Nobody talks to me like that."

"You're right; Shepard isn't here, but I am. I won't let you do this." The boy stepped between the bully and Jeff.

"Actually, I am here." Shepard's bright voice called out from behind the assembled crowd. The kids parted like she was lava flowing, afraid of being burnt. The comments from the collected crowd made it clear how close that was at that moment.

Whispers of "Man, she is pissed!" and "Look how red her face is." erupted through the crowd. The Dingo turned his back on Jeff and the kid standing with him to face this newcomer, a sneer on his face. Jeff couldn't see Shepard over the hulking mass of the bully, but he could sense her approach. His skin tingled slightly from the static electricity she was throwing off.

"You?! I am supposed to be afraid of some scrawny ginger girl?" An incredulous laugh escaped Dingo's throat. He shrugged a moment later. "Fine. I'll take you all on." With that he popped his fingers dramatically.

"You will do no such thing, young man. You will be coming with me." Hannah Shepard appeared behind her daughter, her mouth set in a tight line. Her approach went unnoticed, all the attention on her daughter. "Are you alright, Jeff?" He nodded, his eyes not leaving the would-be bully in front of him. Better safe than sorry.

"Off to the office with you, young man." Ms. Shepard grabbed the boy by his collar and started marching him away. She called to her daughter over her shoulder. "Come dear, we will get you signed it."

Shepard was finally visible. Her face was bright red, a pink-red that clashed horribly with her deep crimson hair and made her bright green eyes stand out. They twinkled with mirth. She wasn't angry at all, just horribly sunburned. And she found this whole situation hilarious.

"Glad to see you can get into trouble without my help," she laughed as she shouldered by.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This immediately follows the previous chapter (part 2 of 2, if you will). The tone was different, which is why I decided to separate them. I hope you all enjoy!

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"So, how was Earth? It looks like you spent a little time in the sun." Jeff spoke casually as he pressed a finger onto Shepard's nose, eliciting a sharp cry as the skin blanched momentarily before returning to an angry flush.

A teacher poked his head out of a nearby classroom door to investigate the yelp, only withdrawing again after Shepard assured him she was fine. Most of the staff was on edge after Hannah Shepard's visit. Shepard told him she heard her mother ranting about how unacceptable it was that no adults noticed the events earlier in the day. She had a point. A large group of kids in a circle is usually a bad sign, and the Dingo wasn't exactly quiet. Shepard was sent to class before her mother really got going, but one of the classes closer to the office heard everything. Rumor had it she had threatened to bring admirals in to investigate whether the school was able to ensure the safety of their students.

"You still haven't answered me." Jeff pushed his thumb onto the inflamed skin of Shepard's cheek, enthralled by the way her normally light smattering of freckles on her nose and cheeks stood out, darkened by the sun. She swatted his hand away like it was a bothersome fly.

"Ouch. Don't touch me, it hurts!" She pulled back and delicately applied a small layer of gel over the tender skin on her face before continuing. "Earth was ok... well, until the funeral at least. That was hard." A deep, shuttering sigh escaped her full, burnt lips. She ran her tongue over them, avoiding his gaze as she fought back her emotions. Several moments passed in complete silence.

Side-by-side, they leaned against the wall in the nearly empty school waiting for her mother to pick them up. Jeff was thankful to not be headed to the Community Center for the afternoon, but it bothered him that her other was late. Ms. Shepard was always punctual.

"It was a lot hotter and brighter than I was expecting." Shepard's relaxed tone sounded forced. Jeff had to rack his brain to pick up the strands of the conversation, to remember what she was talking about. She seemed really interested in the dirt under her fingernails as he watched her, trying to gauge how she was feeling. Her face was a mask. He would take any reaction over this cold façade, so he decided to pick a bit.

"Clearly. You have managed to find a shade of red I didn't know existed. Doesn't your mom know about sunscreen?" He meant it as a light jab at Shepard, but regretted his words instantly as he watched her flinch slightly.

"This happened on our last full day there. My guys took me for the day to give my mom a break, and I guess they didn't think of it. They wanted to let me have a bit of fun, so we went to the beach. She really let them have it when we got back."

"You have guys?" He couldn't keep the light smirk off his face.

"You know... like Uncle Dave - I mean Lieutenant Anderson."

"You got to see him? Lucky." Jeff really was jealous. Lt. Anderson was one of the coolest people he ever met. He was so excited he almost forgot how evasive she was being. Almost. "Wait a second... that is only _one_ guy. You said your _guys_." Jeff knew he was pressing the issue, but she looked like she was going to crack.

"Yeah, he wasn't alone. My..." Her mouth snapped shut as her eyes found her approaching mother. "Never mind. Just drop it, ok?" She shut down as her mother reached them, and he knew better than push it. The trip back to her house was silent.

The normally pristine apartment that was the Shepard household was uncharacteristically messy, as even the ingrained structure of the Alliance was no match for the chaos that accompanies a return home after vacation. Bags sat on every flat surface; the contents spilled out and left a small dusting of sand on the counters and floor. Usually, Ms. Shepard would be on each grain of sand before it could hit the ground, not allowing anything to blemish the immaculate environment. Now she wandered the small flat, starting various projects then abandoning them as soon as something else caught her attention, her eyes never quite focusing. The two children watched her in silence before she disappeared into her room and didn't emerge.

"Is your mom going to be alright?" Jeff's eyes never left the closed door.

"I hope so. She's been like this ever since the funeral." A silence settled over the room for several minutes. Soft sobbing came from behind the closed door at the end of the flat, and Shepard began to blink furiously, her jaw clenched. "I miss my grandma." The whisper was so quiet Jeff almost thought he imagined it. He couldn't stand to see the strongest, most confident girl he ever met struggle, so he sprung into action.

"I forgot to show you this: there is a new vid I found that reminded me of you. Gimme a sec to pull it up." He furiously typed on a small console as he spoke. Shepard looked relieved to have something to focus on, so she gathered a few snacks as Jeff handled the entertainment.

_Turunculus: the Turian Avenger_ danced across the screen in bright graphics. An animated miniature turian leapt from the shadowy recesses of the screen and hung from the 'g' in Avenger. His color was an unnatural red and his talons glinted dangerously. Shepard turned to Jeff, one eyebrow raised skeptically.

"A cartoon? You are this excited over a cartoon?"

"Just trust me on this." Jeff tried to persuade Shepard to just go with it, but he could tell he was losing her interest. He had to convince her to watch. "It's about a turian statue that comes to life to avenge his sculptor's murder. It is awesome! And his talons are made of some unbreakable metal alloy, and he can glue himself back together... really. Just watch."

Just then the little turian darted out from under a chair, wrapped himself around the leg of an unsuspecting human male and started biting his kneecap. Jeff howled with laughter. "See, this is why it reminded me of you!"

"Is this appropriate?" Shepard was still skeptical, her eyes large at the cartoonish amount of blood covering the room. It was disturbing, even though it was animated... or perhaps _because_ it was animated.

"Seriously? This is turian children's programming." He couldn't help but laugh at her shock. This was the same girl who didn't think twice about slamming a boy's head into the wall for picking on her friend. He never pegged her as the squeamish type.

They sat in silence, watching the outrageous program for several minutes. Shepard slowly started leaning forward, getting absorbed in the program despite her misgivings. Her bright eyes sparkled as they followed the kinetic action on the screen, almost as if she was taking notes. Jeff suddenly found himself worried about any bright ideas she may be picking up, and for good reason. As soon as the first episode finished, she hopped up and ran into the other room, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Jeff sat alone in the silent room, his gut swirling with dread. Nothing good could come of this, and it was his fault.

"I am Turunculus. Eat my wrath!" Shepard sprung into the room, sparkling throwing knives held between the bony fingers of her fist, giving the impression of blades sprouting from her knuckles.

"Are those real knives?" His voice shook slightly, because he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, they were my grandma's. She gave them to me before she died. Just don't tell my mom. She doesn't know, and she will have varren puppies if she finds out." Shepard did her best to keep her voice quiet, her eyes on the closed door.

A muffled thump came from behind the closed door, drawing Jeff's attention. It really concerned him that Ms. Shepard hadn't left her room, but at least Shepard was back to normal. Well, normal for her. He turned back to see her reaction to the noise only to find an empty room.

"Um... Shepard?" Jeff stood, slowly making his way through the messy room as he searched. "Where'd you go?" A small noise behind him drew his attention. He spun in place, only to find emptiness. "C'mon. This isn't funny."

A quick blur of color flashed just out of his line of sight, drawing his attention. He turned his head a second too late, only a giggle affirming she had been there at all.

The game continued for several minutes. Shepard chuckled maniacally as she darted from hiding spot to hiding spot, keeping just out of Jeff's line of sight and freaking him out in the process. He really should've thought of the consequences before he showed her the vid. Hearing her giggle, he knew he would make the same decision anyway.


End file.
